1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a compact, light weight portable office having a computer workstation to be transported from place-to-place within and removed from an impact resistant carrying case. The carrying case is provided with a shock isolation system to absorb shock and dampen low frequency vibrations whereby to reduce the risk of damage to the workstation during shipment and enable the workstation to be used in a moving motor vehicle.
2. Background Art
Compact portable offices containing a personal computer, a printer and other peripherals packaged within a carrying case have been commercially available for many years. Because of space constraints, the user is often required to remove either the computer or the printer from the case before access can be gained to each. In certain situations, a printer and other conventional peripherals cannot be easily packaged within the same carrying case, making it necessary for the user to have access to an external printer and/or to other computer peripherals. In other situations, because the computer and peripherals are packaged tightly together within the carrying case, it is sometimes difficult and time consuming to attach cables between the computer and the peripherals so as to be able to use the components as an integrated workstation. In the event that the computer and/or peripherals are to be removed from the case, there is often no available set-up surface for the user to conveniently and efficiently arrange the components of the portable office for use.
One of the advantages of a portable office is its ability to be transported from place-to-place. The portable office is transported in its carrying case over long distances during which the computer and peripherals are often subjected to impact forces. Such impact forces could damage the computer and/or the peripherals. That is to say, where the modular components of the portable office are usually packed closely together within the carrying case, the impact forces are undesirably transmitted throughout the case. Where the modular components are free to move around the carrying case, they have been known to impact one another. However, there is no readily available means known to absorb the forces to which the carrying case is exposed during transit whereby to avoid damage to the components of the portable office. What is more, it has not been practical to use the workstation in a moving motor vehicle without subjecting the computer to engine and road induced vibrations that could adversely affect the operation of the computer drives.
Examples of portable offices comprising a modular computer workstation are available by referring to any of the following United States patents, all of which being assigned to the assignee of this application:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,628 issued May 18, 1993 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,540 issued Jul. 13, 1993 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,512 issued Aug. 15, 1995 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,022 issued Dec. 31, 1996